- Welcome to Carleton and your Bachelor of Information Technology degree program
- First Year Course Selection Guide
- Your Degree Program
- Co-op
- Where do I go throughout the year for program information?
- Courses Required for First Year
Welcome to Carleton and your Bachelor of Information Technology degree program
First Year Course Selection Guide
Please read this degree guide prior to registering.
Your Degree Program
The Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) offers four distinct programs that grant you a Bachelor of Information Technology degree. Each program is offered jointly with Algonquin College and also earns you a college diploma. Students graduate with a strong theoretical grounding, complemented by practical knowledge in their discipline
Co-op
Students’ development as Network, Multimedia, Optical Systems and Sensors, or Information Resource specialists can be further enhanced by combining academic studies with hands-on practice. First-hand experience in the field, as well as contacts in industry, can be gained through participation in the BIT co-op option. Normally co-op students complete at least three work terms — the first beginning in 3rd year winter.
All BIT students who meet the co-op academic requirements are eligible to participate in the co-op program. For undergraduate students who were not admitted to Carleton with the co-op option, student co-op applications can be submitted via mySuccess (from your Carleton Central account).
Where do I go throughout the year for program information?
The School of Information Technology office is located at 230 Azrieli Pavilion, and you can contact an advisor by email at csit-ug-advising@cunet.carleton.ca.
Courses Required for First Year
The following tables provide a list of first-year courses for BIT students. Please consult the Undergraduate Calendar and/or the BIT website (BITdegree.ca) for more information.
First-year IMD courses
All courses below, except for the 1.0 credit Arts & Humanities electives (fall and winter) and the 0.5 credit Programming I elective (winter), are preselected as part of your assigned block registration. You must select and register for your electives yourself.
For the Arts & Humanities electives, students must choose from undergraduate courses at Carleton University outside the faculties of Business, Science and Engineering; course prerequisites apply. It can be a single course worth 1.0 credit (lasting both fall and winter), or two courses worth 0.5 credits. A list of approved elective courses can be found at BITdegree.ca.
For the Programming I elective, students must choose between either BIT 1400: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving, or ITEC 1401: Introduction to Scripting and Problem Solving. Students who have some confidence in programming or who wish to pursue a career in programming are encouraged to choose BIT 1400. Students who feel hesitant about learning programming are encouraged to choose ITEC 1401.
Fall Term
IMD 1000: Intro to Interactive Multimedia Design (CU)
IMD 1002: Visual Dynamics (AC)
IMD 1004: Design Processes (AC)
BIT 1100: Mathematics I for IMD (CU)
Arts and Humanities Elective (CU)
Winter Term
IMD 1001: Visual Communication (AC)
IMD 1005: Web Development (AC)
BIT 1002: Physics for Information Technology I (CU)
Programming I Elective (CU)
Arts and Humanities Elective (CU)
First-year NET courses
All courses below, except for the 0.5 credit Arts & Humanities elective (fall) are preselected as part of your assigned block registration.
You must select and register for your elective yourself. For the elective, students may choose any undergraduate course at Carleton University outside the faculties of Business, Science and Engineering, course prerequisites apply. A list of approved elective courses can be found at BITdegree.ca.
Fall Term
NET 1001: Computer Technology Basics (AC)
NET 1002: Networking Fundamentals (AC)
BIT 1000: Mathematics I for NET (CU)
BIT 1400: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (CU)
Arts and Humanities Elective (CU)
Winter Term
NET 1006: Routing and Switching (AC)
BIT 1001: Mathematics II for NET (CU)
BIT 1006: Achieving Success in Changing Environments (AC)
BIT 1007: Physics for NET (CU)
BIT 2400: Intermediate Programming (CU)
First-year OSS courses
All courses below are preselected as part of your assigned block registration.
Fall Term
OSS 1002: Applications in Photonics & Optoelectronics (AC)
OSS 1006: Introduction to Automation and Simulation (AC)
BIT 1200: Calculus (CU)
BIT 1203: Newtonian Physics (CU)
BIT 1400: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (CU)
Winter Term
OSS 1003: Optics/Optical Fibers (Principles) (AC)
OSS 1005: Introduction to Optics (AC)
BIT 1201: Linear Algebra (CU)
BIT 1204: Electromagnetism & Modern Physics (CU)
BIT 2400: Intermediate Programming (CU)
First-year IRM courses
All courses below except for the minor or French course (fall and winter) are preselected as part of your assigned block registration.
IRM students are required to incorporate a minor of their choice as part of their program. A minor is a secondary concentration of courses in an area that interests you. There are no electives in the IRM program. It is advised that students declare their minor before registering in the appropriate courses required to complete their first-year timetable. Course requirements in the minor can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Once you have decided on your minor, contact Admissions to add it to your student record or submit a Change of Program Elements through Carleton Central after the close of registration. If you are not able to add the minor of your choice this year or courses in your minor are creating a timetable conflict, you can take the 1.0 credit French language course instead. This is a course at an appropriate level of French based on your current understanding of the French language. You must complete an online placement test prior to registration. Please note, only FREN subject codes are accepted (no FINS courses). If you are francophone, you can take courses numbered FREN 2200 or higher. French courses fill up quickly. Register early to avoid disappointment.
Fall Term
IRM 1003: Collections Management (AC)
IRM 1005: Web Interface Development (CU)
IRM 1007: Cataloguing (AC)
IRM 1008: Introduction to Information Resource Management (AC)
Course to be used towards fulfillment of minor or French language requirement (CU)
Winter Term
IRM 1002: Reference and Information Services (AC)
IRM 1004: Reader’s Advisory Services (AC)
IRM 1006: Subject Analysis and Indexing (AC)
BIT 1400: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (CU)
Course to be used towards fulfillment of minor or French language requirement (CU)
Please note:
The notation “CU” and “AC” indicates whether the course is taught by Carleton University or Algonquin College faculty. Normally all CU courses are taught at Carleton and AC courses at Algonquin.